Animal prints you either love them or hate them. I love them, but in small doses. I feel like wearing animal prints is similar to wearing feathers. If done right a garment can look great, but if overdone, you can end up looking like a Vegas showgirl. I talk more about waring feather here in my DIY feather clutch post. If that is the look you are going for, have at it. I’m not one to judge. Me, I just prefer a more minimalist look to my animal prints. That is until I found this fabric and made this DIY zebra print dress!
I usually wear animal prints in the form of a tote bag or clutch, not big, bright, bold prints. However, this DIY zebra print dress changed all that. This is the first time I have worn this much animal print and I have to say I kind of love it. I think it 100% has to do with the color. I absolutly love the blue and white!
DIY Zebra Print Dress – Pattern
I used Mccalls 6118 for the dress. It’s described as a misses mid-knee length one shoulder tunic or dress with band around the top. The pattern was more complicated that I thought it would be, so I took some liberties and made adjustments.
First of all the pattern is for a mini dress and I wanted a long dress, so I extended the pattern about 12 inches. I also omitted the band that is supposed to go around the top of the dress. I read the instructions million times and I couldn’t wrap my head around how to make and attach it. So I gave up and made a facing instead.
The facing is fine, but it made the shoulder strap really narrow. The strap was designed to not need seam allowance so it looks a little wonky to me. However, I don’t think anyone would really notice. I’ve only made one other one shoulder dress. It was one of the first dresses I posted on the blog.
Another annoying aspect of the pattern was that you are supposed to partially gather the front and the back of the dress and then attach attach the band. However, it doesn’t explain how much or how little you are supposed to gather the fabric, so there was a lot of trial and error. It took me a lot longer that it should have to finish the top of the dress.
Print Dress – Fabric
I purchased the fabric on Etsy I initially ordered some green gingham taffeta from this shop. The taffeta was out of stock so the shop owner offered me something else instead of crediting me. This is what I chose. It’s described as light weight silky satin, and it drapes very nicely.
That being said the fit isn’t perfect but, I think it looks very cute! The blue and white looks great together and it photographed very well. However, I feel like I am always adjusting the strap.
Free People had a similar dress a few summers ago. That was my inspiration. I am annoyed I couldn’t figure out the band, but I may give it another shot before the summer is over.
Styled
I paired it with some old white Ralph Lauren flat sandals (similar here), a white clutch (similar here), and my favorite white Bon Bon earrings (similar here).
Thanks for reading. Hope you’re having a great day!
Photos by – Chloejane Photo + Film